| Posted by Dave

Fancy Yourself a Filmmaker? Three Local Film Festivals Want to See What You’ve Got

If you think you have to travel to New York City or Toronto to join the ranks of celebrated independent filmmakers, you’re wrong. There’s an abundance of locally grown film festivals in the area that you can submit to; three right now in fact are currently in search of submissions: WHMT’s TvFilm, the Ballston Spa Film Festival (BSFF) and the Lake Placid Film Forum’s North Country Shorts.

Upstate New York’s educational TV station WHMT is on the lookout for new talent for its upcoming broadcast in June. With an endless list of submission categories such as experimental, documentaries, student films, narratives, music videos, works-in-progress, and animation, it’s open to all, and almost anything goes (except for the director of Kicked in the Groin 2, who should avoid making a trilogy). Here’s the catch: the maximum film length is 22 minutes and the filmmaker must be a resident of Albany, Columbia, Dutchess, Fulton, Greene, Montgomery, Rensselaer, Saratoga, Schenectady, Schoharie, Ulster, Warren, or Washington counties.

Preparing for its third season with host Brandon Bethmann, WHMT’s TvFilm provides a unique showcase for local, homegrown talent dedicated to the survival and thriving of independent filmmaking. Prior to releasing its program of short films, the list of lucky winners (shockingly called the selected short films list) are published as a preview to the showcase. Several days before the official broadcast, a film screening is shown at WHMT studios in Troy. Previous screenings have been free but with limited seating, so anyone wanting to attend can RSVP at tvfilm@wmht.org or call 518-880-FILM. Behind-the-scenes extras such as extended filmmaker interviews are also available after the original airing of the show, offering local filmmakers a chance to share their thoughts on the joys, struggles, tricks and trials of independent filmmaking. And just in case you missed anything, they have an online list of indie movies you may have overlooked.

Season One spotlighted 15 short films and 17 filmmakers, with a variety of topics that included fortune cookies, housefires, representational figure transformations, and the enlightenment of working Joes. The second season kicked off with a documentary from a trio of Saratoga Springs-based filmmakers, Bicycle Lessons, featuring stories of capture and escape in World War II Italy. Lastly, filmmaker Michael Feurstein and actor Jedai Stevens explored the idea of the hero in Greatest Man Alive. Overall, Season Two held more of a musical theme, with videos from artists like Eric Margan and the Red Lions, Sean Rowe and Railbird.

For more submission details, go to www.wmht.org/tvfilm. The deadline for entries is Friday, April 1st.

Also on the lookout for homegrown talent is the Adirondack Film Society for its eleventh annual Lake Placid Film Forum, June 16-19, 2011 at the historic Palace Theater in Lake Placid. They’re currently accepting submissions until April 15 (late entries have until May 1st). The theme is “North Country Shorts” aiming to give exposure to filmmakers who either live in the North Country, who have directed or produced films that are set in the North Country, or have a theme/storyline that takes place in the North Country. In case you’re wondering how the North Country is defined here, “North Country” refers to Albany north to Canada, Albany west to (and including) St. Lawrence County, and Albany east to (and including) Burlington, VT. Films are required to be approximately 10 minutes in length, with a $35 entry fee ($45 for late entries), which includes a membership in the Adirondack Film Society and gets you passes to certain film forum events. Films will be reviewed and selected by a panel of judges with film industry experience and background.

The Lake Placid Film Forum officially began in June 2000 when Russel Banks, Kathleen Carroll (a former film critic for the New York Daily News) and Naj Wikoff (a local artist) decided to start a film program that provided a more intimate medium to view and discuss film. Over the years, the LPFF has gained momentum, drawing widespread attention and is now considered one of the best film festivals in the country. Past attendees have included Martin Scorsese, Hal Holbrook, Cliff Robertson, Parker Posey and Melissa Leo. For more details, questions or to submit, visit www.lakeplacidfilmforum.com or call 518-523-3456.

In the tradition of live film festivals, the Ballston Spa Film Festival, known as the “Open air, bring your own chair film festival,” will be holding their fourth annual event August 5th-6th in Ballston Spa’s Wiswall Park. They’re currently looking for people to send in their short film entries. Entry fees are $5 for students and $25 for non-students. Submissions should be 3-10 minutes long for students and 5-15 minutes in length for non-students. Films must be submitted on a standard DVD format, able to play in any DVD player, and unlike WHMT & NCS, the entries aren’t limited to the upstate NY area. Submissions can come from anywhere. Since the films at the BSFF will be shown in a public setting with children in attendance, entries are encouraged to be family friendly. For more submission guidelines and other details, go to www.bspafilm.com/enter.html. The deadline for submissions is March 31st. Film festivities begin on both nights at 7pm. Admission is free.

The BSFF showcases the short films of professionals, students and amateurs from across the globe, alongside the films of local filmmakers, and since its inception has been consistently growing. The third annual festival featured films from around the world. In 2008, 28 short films were screened, including 11 world premieres. The 2009 festival presented 47 films from 11 countries, including Rwanda, Japan, Spain, Italy, Ireland, the United Kingdom and India as well as from across the US. Awards are given in a dozen categories, including student filmmaker categories for both college and high school students, best new film and local interest.

In previous years, the festival has attracted big name judges like Larry Jackson (a former Executive VP of Miramax, as well as advisor in the creation of the Sundance Institute, director of Bugs Bunny Superstar, and the man who discovered Julia Roberts). Other panelists have included Nick Sagan (whose novels include Idlewild, Everfree and Edenbor) and Daniel Pyne (screenwriter of the films Fracture, Manchurian Candidate, The Sum of All Fears, Any Given Sunday, White Sands, and Doc Hollywood), as well as other significant names in the industry. Every year, the judges hold a panel discussion at Ballston Spa’s Brookside Museum on what it takes to work in independent film.

Past BSFF winners include French Toast by Fabrice Joubert, which has gone on to win various international film awards, including an Oscar nomination for Best Animated Short Film.

For more BSFF information and updates, go to www.bspafilm.com; for LPFF North Country Shorts, visit www.lakeplacidfilmforum.com; and for WHMT TvFilm, check out www.wmht.org/tvfilm

–Helen Holt is an Assistant Editor for The Free George.

The Free George is the online magazine and visitors’ guide of Upstate NY, covering things from Albany to Lake Placid, including Saratoga, the Lake George region and the Adirondacks. Check out our new City Blogs section for our extended coverage areas as well.

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